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DHistory
History · Makaha

Half of Makaha’s homes were built after 1976

More historic than 7% of U.S. towns · #73 of 93 in Hawaii. What drives it

Most of Makaha was built recently: 0.1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976.

0on the National Register
0.1%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: The Eloquent Peasant · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

About Makaha’s history

How historic is Makaha?

D

More historic than 7% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Makaha’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Makaha is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #73 of 93 in Hawaii. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Makaha’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19400.1% of homes (±0.2) · typical HI town 1.7% · U.S. 8.4%DNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical HI town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 7%
NewerOlder
Hawaii towns of 2,500+ (93)Ahead of 22%

Few Hawaii towns list much on the Register (a typical Hawaii town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Makaha’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Hawaii towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Makaha’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Makaha are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Makaha’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Makaha’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Makaha, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Makaha yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Mākaha (Hawaiian for "fierce", or "savage", pronounced [maːˈkɐhə]) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaiʻi, United States. It is a town located along the Pacific coast, west of the Mākaha Valley, and at the foot of Mount Ka'ala in the Wai’anae Mountain Range. It is the last of the leeward towns on Oahu. North of Mākaha there is no development, i.e. no towns, no gas stations, or restaurants. The population of Mākaha was 8,278 at the 2010 census. It is located 35 miles northwest of Honolulu, but is a part of Honolulu County. In the Hawaiian language its name means “fierce” or “savage”, which refers to the group of bandits who were based in the Mākaha Valley. They would …

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 8,278 to 9,916 (+20%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Makaha, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Makaha2013MakahaGreen turtle at Aki beach2013Green turtle at Aki beachAki Beach resident2013Aki Beach residentAki Beach2013Aki BeachMakaha Resort Golf Club2011Makaha Resort Golf ClubHIMap-doton-Makaha2004HIMap-doton-Makaha
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Makaha

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
B
Brian KeaulanaAmerican surfer · b. 1961
N
Nola NahuluAmerican conductor · b. 1954
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Mākaha

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Makaha ValleyIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWaianaeIts storyD−

Questions about Makaha’s history

How does Makaha rank for history?

Makaha is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #73 of 93 in Hawaii. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Makaha?

0.1% of Makaha’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.7% for a Hawaii town; the median home was built in 1976.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.